Dickins earned her BFA from Georgia Southern University and her MFA from the University of South Carolina. She has exhibited works throughout the Southeast and has taught college-level studio classes for many years. She continues to teach advanced collaborative drawing for the Tennessee Governor’s School of the Arts every summer. Dickins currently resides in Clarksville, Tennessee.

Dawn Martin Dickins is a drawing and installation artist whose imagery is deeply rooted in metaphor. Her work responds to pressing political issues that resonate with her identity as a citizen, woman, and mother. While Dickins explores various scales in her art, she is particularly drawn to the performative aspect of large-scale public installations, which invite viewers to engage with the creative process as it unfolds.

Dickins’ current work explores the symbolic figure of the American Cowboy as a representation of American Exceptionalism. Through her art, she investigates the intersections of this cultural icon with the nation’s current political landscape, offering a critical reflection on how this enduring myth shapes contemporary ideologies.